Ohhhh...my aching back!!

Yep. It flared up from last week to a full blown series of back spasms on Monday. I missed work as I couldn't stand up straight or even sit in a chair without suffering debilitating pain. I called Jane, my Bowen therapist, and she was able to get me in at 4:30 PM. I spent Monday going from the bed to the recliner in the living room and making a hash of it every time I got up or sat back down. I fixed myself dinner on Sunday night last week and when I was carrying it to the recliner, had a huge spasm that dropped me to my knees. The hot dogs that I cooked went flying in one direction and I ended up face down on the edge of the sofa. Naturally, the ketchup, mustard, cheese and onion smeared all over the couch cushions. I knew then that I was in for a bad week.

Jane checked her records and the last time I pulled my back out of alignment was in June of 2011 and again it was the left psoas that was inflamed and pulling my spine to the left. I would walk down the hallway and list to the left as I went. This is the reason that a chiropractor is useless to me. I have a congenital defect in my spine where two of the vertebrae did not completely form and it is right where the psoas attaches to the spine. When I have the psoas act up it pulls the spine out of alignment. If I go to a chiropractor, he or she would straighten my spine and the psoas would immediately pull it back out of alignment. So far, Bowen therapy is the only thing I have found that treats the muscles around the spine and it is a Godsend to me. I get Bowen therapy about every eight weeks and it keeps my back stretched and good. Somehow, I did something to throw it out of whack between sessions. I will be back on the massage table after work tomorrow.

Monday night I did go to my therapy session and spent 90 minutes on the table having Jane slowly manipulate the psoas muscle and stretch it out. After 90 minutes Jane went to help me up and my back was spasming something terrible. She rolled me onto my side and I rolled over into a sitting position with my feet hanging off the side of the table. When I stood up, a wrenching pain stabbed me in the back and I went to the ground. I turned white as a sheet and had sweat pouring down my face. Jane thought I was having a stroke and ran to get me a glass of water. The pain slowly subsided when she left the room and I moved to her swivel chair with a back support on it. Bad Move. Trying to get up from that rolling torture chamber just about put me over the edge. I finally grabbed my shoes and what was left of my dignity and headed to my car, where I suffered through another fifteen minutes of unrelenting spasms and pain. I was able to get the car out of her driveway and down to the end of the street, but I was afraid to drive any further in case I had a back spasm as I was approaching a red light or a stopped car. It sounds like I'm being overly dramatic, but anyone who has had severe back pain knows what I'm talking about. The cramped interior of a car is not a place to sit when you are suffering a bad back. I finally made it home and fell onto my bed and slept. For some reason, flat on my back on a mattress is the most comfortable position for me.

I had another employee quit on Monday and I wasn't there to talk to him. I asked Matt to sit down with him and find out what he was up to. Dylan is the employee and he is from New York and moved here in 2012 with his girlfriend. I hired him in December of 2012 as a typist. He worked as an Underwriter in New York, but was happy to take the job. I had moved him to an Assistant Underwriter position, but he has been offered a job with Zurich working on their mid level contractor program. Zurich is not a direct competitor of ours and I have allowed Dylan to stay through this week. He will be working in San Francisco for Zurich. He was definitely underemployed with me.

I already had four candidates for an Underwriting Assistant position coming in on Wednesday to meet with Harvey for second interviews, so figured I'd hire two instead of just one. I was feeling marginally better on Wednesday and had made it through a full day of work on Tuesday. Our first interview was 10 AM and we had one at 11:30, 2 PM and 3:30 PM. All of the candidates are good, but the best is an Underwriter from one of our companies in Los Angeles, USLI. USLI is a Berkshire Hathaway company and they really train their people well. Alison was everything I told Harvey she would be and we hired her and another lady, Jennifer, to replace Dylan. Alison will work as Matt's Assistant as Leah is now in our management trainee program and is one of Matt's Assistants. Harvey also had time to meet with me and go over my employee review and I was very pleased with the high marks that I got from him. Money is a great reward, but so is recognition and Harvey is very generous with his praise for me and the job that I'm doing in Roseville with our branch. Finally, Harvey met with Andy, our Personal Lines KELP (Kaufman Emerging Leadership program) who almost left for Anthony's company last week.

Harvey met with me after talking to Andy and said he was worried that Andy was having second thoughts. He kept saying that it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Andy and I had shaken hands on my counteroffer and he gave me his word that he wouldn't listen to any more counteroffers if I could essentially match what they were offering. We got creative and made it happen.

Friday morning I had a meeting with one of the other KELPs in my office and just wanted to make sure he was comfortable with his place in the office and the direction that his job was moving, salary, income, etc. As soon as Ajay left my office, Andy was standing in my doorway. He said that he'd been sick all week and couldn't sleep and that the counter offer to my counter offer was HUGE and that he was accepting it. I just stared at him. Hadn't he just given me his word three days before? I told him that I was calling Harvey and to sit tight and maybe Google the word "INTEGRITY" as he waited. Harvey and I talked to him and asked him how he could be so indecisive? The core of an underwriter is a decision maker. We don't second guess ourselves or waffle about. He said that it was a life changing amount of money. He also told me I was the best boss he had ever known and that he was sorry he had to leave. I told him that was nice and to clean out his desk and vacate the premises.

He sat at his desk with his head in his hands as I started damage control. I offered his position to a five year employee who came over to us as a Personal lines Underwriter when we took over Cambridge Insurance five years ago. Oksana has been a Senior Assistant Underwriter during her time with me, but she is ready for this new challenge in her life. She is Ukrainian and a very hard worker and all of the managers in the office will help her to get up to speed on Marketing in a quick hurry.

I met with Pete and Matt and  then with Oksana and finally had to go over to Andy's desk and gently push him out the door. I shut down his computer rights as soon as he gave me the news. I spent the balance of the day on the phone with his top agents and drafting an announcement of Oksana's promotion.

Friday night, Darla and I met some friends from church for a quick drink and then we were off to the church for a tri tip dinner followed by the comedian Steve Mittleman. Steve is from Los Angeles and had a role in Steve Martin's film, Roxanne as well as been a regular on Jay Leno's tonight show. His bit was hilarious, but the church held him to a strict 45 minute set because of child care. Here he is on You Tube:


Darla is in San Jose this weekend at a Girl's Volleyball Tournament. No, she's not playing, she is selling her jewelry and was there all day yesterday and had over $1750 in sales. She is staying over again tonight, but will be back tomorrow. She is staying with her cousin Brenda.

The Roseville Golf Club had their first NCGA qualifier of the year this weekend and I had to miss it because of my back. It was a Saturday and Sunday event. I was going to wait until Saturday and hit balls and see if I could make a go of it, but decided Wednesday to get a replacement as my back was still so sore. It was really difficult for me to pass it up, but I did the smart thing for a change and my back is all the better for it. It was windy and cold yesterday and the rain came in overnight last night. Today was sunny and nice with a high near 70 degrees. I went over to the club both days to help out and even hit balls today and my back held up. I have a game on Thursday with one of Matt's $1,000,000 agents and two of his counterparts from Stockton and Novato. I hope to make an appointment to get out and see the guy in Stockton with Matt soon.

I set up golf at Alister Mackenzie Golf Course in Sacramento for next Saturday. It is the area's oldest course and one designed by the same designer (Alister Mackenzie) who designed Augusta National in Georgia. I'll get back to golf next week and do it in style. We play the Teal Bend course in Sacramento on Thursday.

Well, that is all the news that is fit to print. I hope you are all well. I am on the mend and hope to be 100% later this week. Be good. Ciao.